Author Notes: This recipe came from a co-worker who is from India. I used to walk hopefully to her office every afternoon to see what she was having for lunch. She always shared, and one Thanksgiving came over and showed me several of her recipes, including this one. - luvcookbooks

Food52 Review: Japanese eggplant has firmer flesh than regular eggplant, which means it holds up when stewed. We're not sure if that's why luvcookbooks calls for this type, but it works really well here as you simmer slices of the eggplant with canned tomatoes, onion and a mix of spices, including cumin, mustard seeds, coriander and garam masala. Luvcookbooks has you toast the spices and brown the onion, which gives it a richness and sweetness that permeates the dish. Then you add the eggplant and tomatoes and cook them until the eggplant is tender. (You'll need to add water a few times to keep the pan from drying out.) In less than 20 minutes, you'll have a wonderful, fragrant dish that would be great with grilled lamb or roasted chicken. - A&M - The Editors

Serves 4-6

1tablespoon canola oil

1teaspoon brown mustard seeds

1teaspoon cumin seeds

1 onion, sliced

4 Japanese (long and thin) eggplants, sliced 1/2 inch thick

1 serrano chile, seeded and chopped fine

1teaspoon coriander

14ounces canned diced tomatoes, with juice

1/4teaspoon garam masala

1teaspoon salt

1/2teaspoon black pepper

Heat oil in a large frying pan until it shimmers. Add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds and heat about 30 seconds, until they pop.

Add the sliced onions, and stir occasionally over medium high heat until they are deep brown in spots (this will take a while, but makes a big difference to the taste and they won't burn if you are careful).

Add the eggplant and fry until the skin is turning brown and the flesh just starts to soften. You may have to add a little more oil.

Add the chile, coriander, garam masala, tomatoes, and salt and pepper. Turn heat to medium low and cook until the eggplant is soft. Add a little water if it is getting too dry but it will be more solid than watery.

Serve with white rice, spicy Indian lime pickle, and plain full-fat Greek yogurt (you only use a little yogurt and the low-fat yogurt tastes thin and sour).

Made this a few nights ago and it was absolutely brilliant!I added some cinnamon (because I'm a cinnamon freak and also it works surprisingly well with tomatoes) and upped all the other spices a bit. I served it with rice (brown, for chewiness) and the dish won me some new friends :)

Great recipe. I tried this last night with some normal eggplant and threw in a yellow squash. I'm sure the consistency was different as the eggplant fell apart a little too quick relative to the squash. But it tasted marvelous. And a quick and easy recipe too. I would love to try this again with some okra.

Love the simplicity of making this dish, as well as, the fragrant smell and taste it has to offer. Made this recipe a couple times, mostly with japanese eggplants. Today, I used four small italian eggplants because that's all I had. Before cooking the eggplant, I chopped, salted and rinsed them to remove the bitterness (for 30 minutes). Italian eggplants have thicker skins that contain a lot of bitterness. Substituted the serrano chile with two dry chiles and doubled the garam masala. Simmered for 45 minutes. Served over fragrant Indian Basmati rice. Delicious!! Recommend sticking to japanese eggplants or dominican eggplants (beautiful, marbled cream/purple looking eggplants) because their skin has less bitterness, and no salting step is required. Thank you for posting, luvcookbooks

Heidrun, I tried four times to reply but my answer did not add FOUR times so I'm trying up here. Step 2 will take about 5 minutes, more if you use less oil and less if you use more oil. Depends a little on size of pan, source of heat, etc. Step 3 will take a little more than 5 but not more than 7 or 8, depends on tyype of eggplant and size of pieces. Important part is how they look and roasted smell. Step 4 15-25 minutes, again depending... definitely not an hour and a half!! It's a week night recipe in one pot, my fave kind.

I realize that these times all vary quite a bit, but can you give a rough idea of how long you expect steps 2, 3 and 4 to take each? I want to sort of plan out this meal, but I can't tell if it will take a half hour or an hour and a half.

Hi, step 2 will take about 5 minutes, more if you use less oil and less if you use more oil, depends a bit on conditions like heat, size of pan, how fine you chop your onions, etc. Step 3 a little more than 5 minutes, depending on what kind of eggplant and the size of the pieces. The important thing in each step is making sure the color is right. Also, don't add too much oil to the eggplants, they are very greedy! The fourth step will take 15 to 25 minutes, again depending... definitely not an hour and a half, thank goodness! It's a weeknight supper dish in one pot, my favorite kind. Hope this is helpful.

This is my third try of getting this answer to add! Step 2 will take about 5 minutes, more if you use less oil and less if you use more oil. Depends a bit on your pan size, source of heat, etc. Step 3 a little more than 5 minutes, depending on type of eggplant and how big the pieces are, but no more than 7 or 8. The important thing is the color at each step and the roasted smell. Also don't add too much oil to the eggplant, they are very greedy! Step 4 15 to 25 minutes, again depending... definitely not an hour and a half!! It's a weeknight dinner in one pot, my favorite kind. Hope this is helpful and REALLY hope it adds this time.

Glad you like it! I'm trying to recreate a family friend's eggplant curry that roasts, peels, and mashes the eggplant. Will post when it's ready. I'm glad you think it's a complex taste, it has a main dish flavor that vegetables don't always have. And amen to being born again :)
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Terrific recipe!! I made it on Friday, adding a few fresh string beans toward the end of the cooking to get some more color onto the table. Served over brown basmati with a spoonful of lacto-fermented mint and coriander chutney (now a favorite staple in my fridge), some cucumber raita, and my "everyday" masoor dal with cauliflower and carrots. This one's a keeper, to be sure. ;o)